Tour Route Planning

[Ricd11]

Hi all,

I'm planning a tour for early June this year and have made a rough route just by looking at google maps really. I was thinking of starting in Amsterdam/ Rotterdam depending on ferry and making my way across the netherlands and into Germany, maybe heading towards Dotrmund. Then head to Koln and Frankfurt as there seems to be alot of green and national parks and frankfurt sounds like it could be groovy. Plan would be maybe to head to Nurnberg and then Munich - definitely want to go here as it's meant to be a buzzing city.

From there I'm thinking of heading to the lakes at lindau, my sister has been there and it seems really picturesque. After that I wouldn't mind dipping into Austria (mainly because I hold fond skiing memories there) and liechtenstein just to say i've been there and have been through another 2 countries.

I then thought it might be good to dip into Italy and see what the scenery is like there, and maybe check out one of the big towns like Milan. After that I'd head to the south france coast, and then make my way up to calais via a few towns like Lyon, Geneve, Paris and Brussels.

It's a fair whack at over 2000Mi, and it will be my first tour (I will get a little practice in over easter to try kit out etc). What does everyone reckon to the rough route? I want to catch some lovely scenery, visit a few big towns and landmarks, and maybe have a beach chill on the French coast.

In my head I'd be looking at 50 miles a day, just a few hours cycling, nothing too intense (i might not be saying that 500 miles in though )

Other things I'm unsure of as i'm new to cycling, are which roads you can actually cycle on, places to camp etc. I'm happy to wild camp, and i've seen advice on here about camping dans le ferme (sp?) which sounds good but in terms of Germany, Holland and Italy etc. I'd have no idea.

I would be grateful for any advice,

thanks,

Rich

 

[rich p]

I did something similar a few years ago except that I flew back from Bologna.
50 miles a day is very achievable once you're fit. I really enjoyed crossing Luxembourg to Trier. Hilly and green with some flat river routes - the Saar from memory.
There are 101 ways to skin a cat but my preferred method is to plan 50 mile days on the map each prior evening having already pre-planned a rough route before leaving. Allow 10% extra for wiggling and getting lost.
I don't stealth camp so some days are defined by the availability of sites which are worth researching first.
I use minor roads which go in the right -ish direction and slightly bigger roads if I can't face another hill, in a hurry or there's a place to visit etc.
Sounds like a great trip. Good luck

 

[rich p]

Germany, for me, was a revelation. Friendly, pretty and great people. Die Romantissche Strasse is a must do route if you can. Andy in Sig will be along at some point with better info. If not send him a PM.

My wife did a bit of a write up here, if it's of any use
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/4219

 

[mcr]

I'm harbouring similar plans myself, though probably won't have time to cross to Italy and may go further east than you.

The route you're suggesting is basically the Rheinradweg all the way from Hook of Holland to Chur or thereabouts in Switzerland (and thence over whichever Alpine pass(es) you choose). You may have to negotiate the odd bit of rough track (you don't say what type your bike is), but in my experience German cycle routes often follow little-used but tarmacced agricultural lanes or, when following a main road, broad, well-maintained and separated lanes that usually have priority over side roads etc.

A handful of useful resources for Germany:

http://www.radweit.de/index/routyber.html Downloadable mapped routes between cities etc.

http://www.radreise-wiki.de/Radfernweg Look for Rheinradweg entry.

http://www.bettundbike.de/130_1 Cycle-friendly accommodation, including a handful of campsites.

(All in German of course.)

 

[andym]

Definitely do some short tours first - not so much for the sake of fitness (you should get fitter as you go along!) but to make sure you're happy with your kit, you can buy/fix stuff along the way but it's easier to do it before you go.

You don't say how long you're going for. If you're going for an indefinite period then it's easier to improvise. If you're on a tighter timescale you might need to have a fallback plan in mind (eg train back part of the way).

It's worth planning your routes over the alps a bit (ie know which passes you are aiming for). for Italy the Brenner pass seems most popular. If your going that way don't ignore the small cities - Padova, Mantova, Ferrara etc. Of the 'big' (no Italian city is very big) cities that I've visited, Bologna is my favourite.

 

[snorri]

I wouldn't want to dampen your enthusiasm, but I think you are taking on too much for a first tour. It's not just physical fitness for the tour, it's the mental ability to absorb and enjoy all of the new experiences to be encountered, not only in each country, but in each part of these countries. I think you could suffer from experience overload , and not appreciate fully the areas you will pass through. Europe will be passing your eyes in a blur.
I find it more interesting to concentrate a tour on one country, spending most of the time there but cycling with little delay through other countries on the way out and back.

 

[Andy in Sig]

Germany, for me, was a revelation. Friendly, pretty and great people. Die Romantissche Strasse is a must do route if you can. Andy in Sig will be along at some point with better info. If not send him a PM.

My wife did a bit of a write up here, if it's of any use
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/4219

And here I am in all my predictability.

FWIW I don't think Dortmund belongs on that route as Köln and Franfkfurt are more or less on the Rhein. That said you could do Dortmund to Düsseldorf in day but it does mean going through the Ruhrgebiet and you'd be better doing it in half an hour on the S-Bahn (local train).

Two alternatives suggest themselves:

Pick up the Rhein at Köln and follow the route (in vols 2 and 3 of the Bikeline books) and get down to Lake Constance (aka Bodensee) then follow the Bodensee route around to Überlingen and then follow the Schwäbische Alb route about 40 km north to the Danube. Down the Danube to Donauwörth and along the Romantische Straße to Augsburg and then cut east to Munich.

Or,

Follow the Rhein to the Main and go up the Main (passing Frankfurt as you go) as far as Wertheim and then follow the Romantische Straße as per above.

This is probably the better route. The good news is that there is a Bikeline book for every route (buy them as you go along from bookshops) and you can get a cycling map for the Augsburg to München bit.

 

[Ricd11]

Thanks for all the responses, a couple of points I should make then:

My bike is a new Ridgeback Voyage, which so far i'm very pleased with comfort wise but as I mentioned i will have to wait unil easter to try a little tour stint.

Timewise, I'm a 3rd year pharmacy student, and after 4th year it will be straight into 9-5, so this summer I will have june- september/october to do something awsome - which has turned out to be cycling after thoughts of killamanjaro etc. My 50 mile a day is a target in mind, so would be around 6 weeks this plan (but is definitely subject to change before and during). But essentially I have as long as I want to within 3-4 months.

Gear wise I have Altura dryline 56 rear panniers and thats about it atm, will be looking to buy trangia stove and camping gear closer to easter when I have a better idea of how my funds are looking. Also when out touring I will have a limited budget, hence the cooking meals and wild camping.

Snorri- I agree with you somewhat, having watched the tour of france video posted on here, it looks fantastic! The thing is i would like to see lots of places and this is a big window for me to do it. I do also not want to pass everything by in a blur, hence my 50 mile average. I would also be tempted to stay in a few places for a couple of days if I really enjoyed it, and a few extra days here and there will still be easily within a few months.

Thanks for the possible route tips too, I will check them out later when I'm home

Rich

 

[Ricd11]

Also I would probably be quite happy to get on a train if need be, obviously price dependent. I'm stuck between how rated south france is, my want to check out Holland and my slight love for Germany as it's ubercool and I can get on with the language slightly from GCSE days (my other language skills are lacking)